STEMming the flow: Congress must help the legions of international Ph.D.s stay here
Apart from an admirable level of dedication, STEM Ph.D.s in the U.S. tend to have one thing in common: many are international students. In fields like computer science, more than 50% of annual graduates may have come from abroad. It’s too bad that we do little to help them stick around.
The U.S. needs all types of immigrants doing all types of jobs, but there’s something particularly head-scratching about thousands of people going through the most academically rigorous degree program for some of the most in-demand fields at some of the best universities in the world only to then find an obstacle course at the finish line when they want to stay and use their talents here.
Yes, a significant percentage do end up finding ways to remain in the country, but this tends to be a test of willpower when it should be closer to a straightforward administrative procedure, not quite cursory but not the Kafkaesque ordeal that can characterize the work immigration process.
As we strive to expand domestic high-tech industries like semiconductors and race against the clock to develop technologies that can counteract some of the already-manifesting impacts of runaway climate change, the idea of retaining our output of highly trained technical experts isn’t just nice but should be a priority on national interest grounds.
The framework for our immigration system was established almost six decades ago, with the Immigration Act of 1965, at a time when semiconductors were in their infancy and sectors like biotechnology were a tiny fraction of their current size and complexity. Congress has never been known as nimble, but the total abdication of action on immigration, a crucial policy area for the American economy and society writ large, is next level.
This problem only compounds as time goes on and prospective Ph.D.s internalize the lesson that, excellent education or no, the U.S. immigration system just isn’t worth dealing with when great universities can be had in Canada, Europe, or Asia. Act now, or miss the boat.
